Spirulina and chlorella algae products are popping up everywhere. But what are they and are they healthy? Here's my Energybits review of their brand of algae and why I think they are worth trying. You'll also find key differences in spirulina vs chlorella and what the research has to say. Read to the end for discount code.
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What are Algae "Supplements"?
Algae is technically a food and not a dietary supplement. This is the best way to get most any form of nutrition. The algae in the EnergyBits line of products is 100% non GMO, organic (by Japanese standards), and grown in Taiwan. Taiwan is known for the highest quality algae and for producing a very pure product. There are no fillers or other ingredients. It is 100% pure algae. (This is very important.) Algae has been researched, mostly in animal studies, and shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergic properties.
What is Spirulina?
Spirulina is a type of non-toxic blue-green algae that grows in high salt, alkaline waters. Let's look at its nutrient density: Spirulina algae tablets (from EnergyBits) naturally contain all the B vitamins, many minerals (over 40 total vitamins and minerals), and omega 3 essential fatty acids. It's a plant-based food that contains high protein (3 x steak). It is a complete protein meaning it contains all 8 essential amino acids. This makes it very unique.
Overall Health Benefits of Spirulina
Spirulina is a type of algae with high concentrations of amino acids and micronutrients like Tryptophan, Vitamin B 3 (Niacin), and Iron. Research suggests it could aid weight loss by increasing the amount of fat being burned for fuel. It is also beneficial for improving memory by preventing oxidative damage in the brain, and has been shown to reduce levels of heavy metals.
In a recent study (see reference #3) Spirulina 500 mg/day helped improve cognitive scores in Alzheimerโs patients with mild to moderate cases and also improved several other biomarkers like CRP, FBG, insulin. Spirulina is also considered a powerful beauty food due to its high collagen and high protein content that builds your skin and hair. It has a high chlorophyll content, antioxidant properties that can help protect against wrinkles, and 40 vitamins and minerals that help nourish your skin from the inside.
What is Chlorella?
Chlorella is a type of freshwater algae. It is a bioavailable source of iron and b12, a source of protein that contains the AA leucine, and has a high concentration of chlorophyll.
Benefits of Chlorella
Similarly to Spirulina, Chlorella is known for its ability to bind to and eliminate heavy metals from the body. It has been found to stimulate the production of several cell types important to the immune system. Chlorella may also benefit those wanting to improve cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. There are two main species of Chlorella: Chlorella Pyrenoidosa and Chlorella Vulgaris.
Energybits Review
A while back, I received an email from a company Energybits, which sells spirulina tablets and chlorella algae tabs, to review their product. I get A LOT of these kind of emails. So once I saw the words "energy", "tablet" and "algae" I was ready to hit DELETE because those words just turn me off.
But for some reason that I can't remember (after all, Ben was 6 months old so I don't remember a lot of about this time), I kept reading and even decided to "be professional" and respond with - can I have more information? I realized that I had started to see chlorella and spirulina algae appearing in more food products lately and I didn't know much about it. Maybe I could learn a thing or two to help me advise you all on this new trend.
And so my relationship with Energybits began.
Being that I have little extra time to think about new things, I was still breast feeding, and the fact that I am always VERY skeptical about new, trendy supplements, I had a lot of questions for Energybits and did not move very fast in our email conversation. But the contact at EnergyBits was so patient with me and I realized very quickly that they weren't out to get me to just buy a ton of their product. They really wanted to educate me and make sure I knew all about what I might put in my body.
So you may be thinking, ALGAE? REALLY? Is it really necessary for health?
Well, I'm not 100% sure about that necessary part but I do think it's a valid source of superior nutrition. After a YEAR of communication and information sharing, I'm finally writing a review and sharing what I learned (and am still learning) about Energybits algae.
Nutritional Benefits
- There is potential for proven results to be found for sports performance, energy levels, metabolism, and disease prevention.
- Algae is a concentrated source of chlorophyll, the green pigment found in plants. While not all of the benefits of chlorophyll have been proven, it is thought to help with anemia, relive constipation, support a healthy pancreas, and reduces inflammation.
- Algae is a sustainable source of protein and nutrients due to the small amount of space needed to grow and lack of resources it requires. This would be a big win for the environment and for the future of feeding our world.
- Blue-green and green algae have the highest concentration of protein and can help meet protein needs.
Safety
It is important to mention that there have been some concern over the safety of spirulina and chlorella algae due to contamination and potential interactions in the body. (See reference #2) And this is why I am so impressed with the notable difference of Energybits as a company and the high quality product they sell. Specifically, here's what I mean:
- They source their algae from Taiwan who use more advanced processing that ensures there is no lead or other contaminates.
- Their algae is air dried to ensure none of the natural compounds are damaged.
- The Energbits tabs do not have a capsule or any other substance in them but algae. The small size enables them to be easily swallowed so that taste is not a barrier for consuming them.
- All this company does is sell algae; nothing else. They believe 100% in their product line and truly want to everyone to benefit from this super food.
- I believe they have done absolutely everything possibly to give us a pure, safe and beneficial form of algae.
I know the passion behind this company because I personally had the pleasure to meet the founder and CEO, Catharine Arnston, this past summer in Boston. She is a legit, committed, hard working, honest, business owner and health warrior. I only had a few minutes with her due to my schedule but I so wish we could've chatted longer.
Key Differences of Chlorella vs Spirulina
Spirulina is particularly beneficial for energy because it has no cell wall. It takes little time to digest, making it an faster source of vitamins and protein. Chlorella, however, has a very strong cell wall and therefore digests very slowly, allowing its high chlorophyll content to help detoxify the body.
How to Use Energybits Products
And now you may be wondering, "How do I use these Energybits?" The convenient and easy to swallow tablet recommendations are as follows:
- 15-20 minutes before exercise (my personal favorite) as a fuel source
- Keep in your gym bag to use after athletic activity (See Recovery bits too) to aid in recovery
- In the afternoon or any time you need enough energy to get through the day a natural way (my second personal favorite)
- Before a meal to help take the edge off your hunger and prevent overeating (see Skinnybits too)
- Any time of the day is the perfect time
I really think this is something all athletes should consider as a great addition to their nutrition performance plan.
My Personal Results
So lastly, I want to share with you my personal experience taking Energybits. They first provided free samples of Energybits for me to try. They literally sat on my counter for a good two months or so. To my credit, I was still nursing Ben and was very leery about anything willy nilly I put in my body. But I finally tried a handful before a run one morning. I drank some water, swallowed some Energybits, and hit the road. About 10 minutes in to my run I felt my body wake up and energize, differently than what normally happens. I felt great and had an energized run.
While continuing to experiment with the Bits, I tried them before workouts, in the afternoon during my work day for added mental focus, to help with sufficient energy during an exhausting conference I attended, and even in lieu of coffee in the morning. I had positive results for all these "trials", meaning I had physical energy and felt great. I can't tell you whether these affects were placebo or not, but I've talked with other registered dietitians who have tried them and experienced similar benefits. I've since used an entire bag (that I purchased) and was very sad the day it was empty.
Cost and Discount Code
Which brings us to cost. The Energybits product line is extremely high quality as they have gone through many steps to ensure purity and nutrient preservation. Yes, you can find cheaper forms of algae, but I can pretty much guarantee you DO NOT KNOW what you are actually purchasing and putting in your body. It's likely much lower quality and potentially contaminated -- scary stuff.
So I'm not going to lie, this is not cheap stuff. But from my personal experience and what the research suggests, I think it's completely worth it. And to help you take the plunge and buy your first bag of Bits, I've got a discount code for you for 20% off!!! Woot woot!! Use JENNARD at checkout.
I am ambassador for Energybits so when people use this discount code, I can earn free product. I hope that after reading this post you see that I really believe in this product and am not just trying to make money, which I don't anyways.
So now let's talk. What do you think about algae? What have you heard? Are you interested in trying it after reading this Energybits review? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and if you have any more questions.
To our health,
Jenna
References
1. Bioactivity and Applications of Sulphated Polysaccharides from Marine Microalge. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3564169/
2. First Detection of anatoxin-a in human and animal dietarty supplements containing cyanobacteria. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19520132
3. The effects of spirulina intake on clinical and metabolic parameters in Alzheimer's disease. Available at: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36861852/
